


Red Becomes Her

by spookyawards_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Medium Length
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-04-17
Updated: 2003-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-27 06:12:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14419326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookyawards_archivist/pseuds/spookyawards_archivist
Summary: What happens when the holiday of love turns into the holiday of death?





	Red Becomes Her

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Spooky Awards](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Spooky_Awards), and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [SpookyAwards' collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/spookyawards/profile).

 

"Red Becomes Her"

## "Red Becomes Her"

### by Inluvwthfox

TITLE: Red Becomes Her  
AUTHOR: Inluvwthfox with Sammy  
RATING: R for violence.  
SPOILERS: Irresistible   
SUMMARY: When the holiday of love turns into the holiday of death. DISCLAIMER: Mulder and Scully belong to Chris Carter and 1013 Productions. No copyright infringement is intended. AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thank you Sammy for giving me the idea for this fic and pushing me along to get it done. Thanks also go out to Megs for her wonderful support, her help with the 'tough' spots, and her wonderful betaing. ;) FEEDBACK: Yes, please  
x.Xx  
He lurked in the shadow of her home, waiting for her to get comfortable for the evening. He watched as she took off her business clothing, opting to wear her jogging suit. He knew her routine, studied it in minute detail. She wasn't the one he wanted, but she was close. She looked enough like her to pass for his purposes. 

He didn't know her name, didn't care too. All he knew was she was what he wanted that night and he always got what he wanted. He moved closer to the house as she moved from the bedroom to the living room. She sat down and turned on the TV. He turned to see the delivery truck pull up to the house. 

He smiled, happy for the timing of the delivery service he had enlisted the aid of. He watched as the young man carried the box to the door and knocked. 

The woman went to the door and opened it. He could see her fully now. He was getting turned on by how much they looked like each other. The petite body, piercing blue eyes, and the wonderfully red hair. 

The woman collected her package and tipped the young man. She closed her door and returned to her seat in the living room. She opened the package to find one dozen red roses. She smiled, wondering who they had come from. The card said, "Your secret admirer." 

She picked up one of the roses and sniffed it. She sighed at the sweet smell of the flower. That's when he made his move. He knew the drug would take effect soon and he entered the front door with little difficulty. She tried to turn to see who was invading her house, but found she couldn't move. She tried to call out in fear, but she couldn't do that either. 

He kneeled before her and stroked her hair. He smiled and said, "Don't fear, my dear sweet Dana. I'm here. I'll always be here." 

xXx 

Hot water ran down her back as she stood in the shower after a long day in the basement office. She let the water wash away the day of paperwork and autopsy's. The day of running around looking for another mystery to solve or alien to hunt. She let the water lull her into a calming trance where her mind drifted into a make believe world where Mulder had Samantha back, she had Emily back and they were all a happy family. 

The ring of her phone broke her dream. She hurriedly wrapped herself in a big towel and ran to it. 

"Scully," she said as the phone made it's journey to her ear. 

The familiar timber of his voice said, "Scully, want me to come over your place with some Chinese? My treat." 

She smiled, "Sure Mulder. Give me about ten min...." 

Before she could finish her sentence she heard Mulder hang up on her. She shook her head and with a sigh returned the phone to its rightful spot. 

Scully walked to her bedroom to change, wondering why Mulder wanted to come over tonight. It wasn't there usual movie night, and he never offered to just buy dinner for her, unless there was something up. 

As she pulled her shirt over her head, she heard a knock on the door. She yelled out from her room. "Come on in, Mulder. It's open." 

Mulder came in and deposited the bag of food on the coffee table. He glanced down the hall as he went to the kitchen and grabbed some sodas. When he came back out into the living room Scully was coming down the hallway, combing her wet hair. 

Mulder laughed, "You look like a drowned rat, Scully." 

She grabbed one of the sodas out of his hand and turned towards the cough. "You like it? I may start coming to work like this." She smiled and sat down. 

Mulder came around and took a seat next to her. They ate quietly and watched TV. After a long while Scully looked at Mulder and said, "Mulder, why did you come over here tonight?" 

Mulder looked at her innocently, "I hate eating alone?" 

Scully smirked and shook her head. "There's a reason why your here, now spill it." 

Mulder sighed. "Alright." 

He pulled out the newspaper from the cushions of the couch. The headline read, "Valentine's Killer Strikes Again." 

Scully looked at the paper and then to Mulder with a raised brow. "This is the reason your here? Are you afraid your next?" 

Mulder glared, "Very funny, Scully. Look at the victim's descriptions. The killer is picking a distinct type of girl. Scully... you fit the profile." 

Scully was quiet for a long while as she stared down at the paper. She whispered, "Mulder, I'll be fine. I'm a trained agent with a loaded gun. This guy wouldn't stand a chance." 

Mulder sighed, "Alright. I just want you to be careful. I'd...I'd hate to lose you again." 

Scully smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." 

Just then there was a knock on the door. Scully said, "I wonder who that could be this late? Your the only one who bothers me in the middle of the night." 

She opened the door to see Assistant Director Skinner standing there, stone faced. She looked surprised. "Sir?" 

Skinner looked in to see Mulder. "I figured I'd find you both here. Can I come in?" 

Scully gave a nod and stepped out of the way. "By all means..." 

Mulder looked to Skinner and said, "What's going on sir?" 

"I've got a new case for you." 

xXx 

It had been raining again. Not a good thing in early February in Washington. It made the roads even slicker then usual. It did manage to get rid of some of the dirty snow that had piled up from the many winter storms but it didn't help out an investigation any. If there was any evidence left outside of a crime scene, it would be washed away. 

Mulder, Scully, and Skinner knew this all to well as they pulled up to the small Washington suburb home of Shanda Smith. She had been the latest victim in a string of 'valentine's killings', as vice liked to call them. Some had finally got there head out of there asses and decided, after the third murder, that it might be smart to call in the feds. 

The whole property had been marked off with yellow tape and police cars lined the sleepy neighborhood street on either side. There was a uniformed officer guarding the entrance of the crime scene. He stopped the trio as they approached. 

"Sorry, no one inside without the officer in charges permission." He held out his hand, as if to stop traffic. 

Skinner took the lead and said, "I'm Assistant Director Skinner. These are my agents. Mulder and Scully." 

The officer looked over the three of them and then sighed. "Ok. Officer Scott is in the living room, gathering evidence." He stepped out of the way and let them in. 

Skinner led the way into the living room, looking around for the officer in charge. There were so many people in the room, doing various things that he sighed and called out, "I'm looking for an Officer Scott." 

Everyone in the room stopped and looked at the trio. Mulder glanced over at Scully with a smirk and raised brow. 

A woman, wearing a business suit like what Scully usually wears, approached them. She was petite, about Scully's age, with bright flowing red curls that fell down past her shoulders to her middle back. She had a look of determination on her face. 

She held out her hand to Skinner to shake and said, "I'm Officer Samantha Scott. And you might be?" 

Skinner caught the contempt in her voice. This was her crime scene and she didn't like intruders. "I'm AD Skinner with the FBI. This is Agents Mulder and Scully. Our unit has been assigned to help you out on this case." 

Officer Scott shook Mulder and then Scully's hand. She sighed and said. "I'm assuming you don't know much about what's going on so, I'll start at the beginning." 

She led them into the living room, where a woman's body was laying out on the couch. The woman was stunning in her petite beauty. Dressed in a red dress, red roses strewn on the floor around her. Her red hair laid beautifully against the cream colored couch that was her last resting place. 

Both Mulder and Skinner couldn't believe how beautiful the woman looked, even in death. Scully was to busy studying the crime scene to consider the woman's beauty. She noticed the redness around her neck. Like rub marks. 

Officer Scott said, "This was Shanda Smith, a 34 year old Journalist. She's single, no known family. Neighbors say she didn't go out much. Her job was her life. She got home about 5:30 this evening. Soon after that a neighbor said he noticed a delivery truck pulling into her drive. The neighbor, a James Franklin, was just getting home from work. His wife asked him to go check on Smith, she had been feeling kind of down lately. So, after his supper, he came over and found the door ajar. He came into the house and found her like this." 

Mulder goes and looks at the door. "No sign of forced entry?" 

Scott shook her head. "No, however it was either knew her or knows how to pick a lock very well." 

Scully continued to look at the body. "Do you know what the murder weapon was?" 

"As far as the forensic reports say in the other two cases, it was strangulation. But not with a rope or hands. The coroner said that it had to be done with something soft. That's why the redness and bruising is so faint." 

Skinner looked at the roses and champagne. "It looks like she had company. A romantic evening?" 

Scott looked at him and shook her head. "No, the scene is the same in all three crime scenes. Red dress, champagne and glasses, and red roses. I think it's kind of the killers calling card." 

Scully said, "I'd like to do the autopsy on this body and I'd also like to look at the autopsy reports on the last two victims." 

Scott gave a nod. "No problem. Officer Jenkins can help you out there. Hey Jenkins..." 

A uniformed officer walked up to the group, "Yeah Sam?" 

Scott smiled at the young officer and said, "Take Agent Scully to the medical examiners and get her copies of the last two cases." 

Jenkins smiled and said, "Yes ma'am." 

xXx 

He stood in the crowd across the street from the crime scene. The lights of the police cars mixed with the rain gave the whole area and surreal glow. He almost smiled at how idiotic these peons of law enforcement were, trying to solve a case that was beyond there little minds. He knew this wasn't a case for the locals. It was something that only the big guys could handle and soon they would come. 

That's when the front door opened and she exited it. He couldn't breathe, seeing her standing there next to her tall, dark haired partner. She looked so lovely in the mixture of red and blue lights. Her hair was perfect, even though the dampness of the air should have made it flat. 

She was chatting with another woman who looked a lot like her. A local, as he liked to call them. One of the peons. His smile spread as he whispered, "That peon could become useful." 

xXx 

"Female subject, approximately 36 years of age. Apparent cause of death from external exam, strangulation." 

Scully sighed and stopped the recorder. She stared down at the body on her table. She wondered what had motivated the killer. Why he left such a romantic setting at the crime scene. Why he killed this particular type of woman. 

When she looked over the other victim's files, she couldn't help but notice it. They all looked alike. They all looked like her. Mulder's words rang in her ears. 

"Scully... you fit the profile." 

She did fit the profile, to a tee. She shook her head to try and clear her mind. She was an agent, a professional. She couldn't let cases like this get to her. She thought back to how she had reacted when Donnie Pfaster had taken her. She knew she was a rookie agent and only acted the same as any other new agent would have. But she still feared him, feared the situation. 

She was brought back from her thoughts by the door opening. "Agent Scully, I have the lab work you requested." 

The young lab tech had rushed the tests as a favor to her. She smiled at him as he handed over the files. She looked it over as the young man anxiously said, "It's a very interesting case, if I do say so myself. I wonder why all of the victims had taken Ketamine?" 

She looked at him and said, "Ketamine?" 

The tech gave a nod. "Yes, it showed up in each victims blood system and also in the nasal cavity." 

Scully put down the file and went over to the woman lying on the table. She swabbed the inside of the woman's nose and handed the sample to the tech. "Can you run this also?" 

The tech smiled and said, "Yes ma'am. I'll have it rushed." 

xXx 

Detective Scott sat behind her desk, pouring over the reports from each crime. Skinner sat across from her looking at his own notes. Mulder was pacing back and forth, mulling over the killer's motives. 

They all looked up at the door as Scully walked in. She smiled and set a file down in front of Scott. 

"Ketamine," she said. 

Scott opened the file and looked up at Scully, "What in the hell is that?" 

Scully sat down next to Skinner, "It was found in all of the victim's bloodstreams. It's a general anesthetic used mostly for veterinary use. Recently it's become one of the more favorite of club drugs." Scott said, "So, you think all these women were users?" Scully shook her head. "No, there wasn't any sign of prolonged use. I think our killer is using the drug on his victims. See, ketamine causes the user to go into a kind of paralysis. You can see and breath, but you can't move or talk." She looked up to Mulder, "It would be easy for him to kill his victims if they can't fight back." The room fell quiet as everyone took in this new information. Scott finally broke the silence by standing up. She grabbed the files and her coat. "Well, we aren't getting any closer to finding this guy sitting here. I've got some friends on the Narcotics squad. I'll have them track down known ketamine dealers for us." Mulder gave a nod and said, "I'm going to go over the files again, see if there might be anything we missed the first time. Scully, I want you to go with me?" Scully looked up at him, questioningly. Mulder answered her before she could ask, "You fit the profile and we don't know how he finds his victims. You could be a target." Scully sighed, "Mulder, I'm fine."  
Mulder smiled and said, "I know, just humor me." Scully smiled back at him and whispered, "Ok." xXx  
Skinner followed Scott down the hall and towards the narcotics office. He couldn't help but watch the way her body swayed as she moved down the hall. He shook his head, trying to clear the dirty thoughts from his mind. As they approached the door he stepped in front of her and held it open. He smiled at her as she passed by. She stopped, turning back towards him, and smiled. "Thank you Mr. Skinner." Skinner blushed slightly and said, "Please, call me Walter." She gave a nod and said, "Alright, but I insist you call me Sam." He gave a little smirk at that and whispered, "I'd feel more comfortable calling you Samantha." It was Scott's turn to blush as she replied, "Ok." "Look, I was thinking. Maybe after we get done here, we could go somewhere for dinner?" As soon as he said it he wanted to take it back. He knew it sounded desperate. Scott sighed and said, "Well, I've already got dinner waiting for me at home." "Oh, husband cooks for you, huh?" Now, he felt really, really stupid. He came on to a married woman. "No. But my mother keeps me stocked up on the essential meals. You know, the meat and potatoes type?" Skinner smiled with relief that she wasn't married. "Sounds good, actually." "Well, why don't you join me? We could work on the case." Skinner stopped smiling abruptly. He wasn't thinking about working tonight. He forced himself to keep smiling. "That would be great." xXx  
Mulder sat behind his desk, combing through the files on all of the murders. He was so intent on his work that he didn't notice Scully enter with coffee for each of them. She smiled as she placed his coffee on the desk. She couldn't help but admire this man's talents as an agent. She thought that all those who made fun of Mulder as being 'Spooky' or 'off the deep end', never really got to know him and how much he dedicated himself to his work and to helping people. 

She sat down and watched him work. She hoped that he could figure this killer out. Hoped that they could put an end to this madness. A shiver went down her spine as she thought of the women this man had already murdered. She thought how much each of them looked like her. Mulder had been right. She did fit the profile, but she didn't want him to know she was worried about it. 

She also didn't want him to know how much this case had brought back her fear from the Pfaster case. She had thought she had put that behind her, but this case was bringing back all of those old fears. She had to be strong and forget about that. It was old news. 

She was startled back to reality by a hand on her shoulder. She looked up with momentary fear in her eyes. Mulder looked down at her with concern in his, "Scully, are you alright?" 

She sighed and put on her trademark smile. "I'm fine, Mulder." 

Mulder had a look of disbelief on his face as he moved back around to his chair. "I asked you a question and you didn't answer. You looked like you had something troubling you. Want to talk about it?" 

She shook her head and said, "It's nothing. Just thinking about the case, that's all." 

Mulder gave a nod and said, "Well, I think I've done just about all I can do here tonight. How about I drive you home so you can get some rest?" 

Scully gave a nod and stood up, grabbing her coat. "I think I could use some." 

xXx 

Skinner sat back on Scott's couch, looking over his notes once more. He smiled up at her as she came back from doing the dishes. She sat down beside him and smiled also, opening her on notebook. 

"So, dinner was really good. A lot better then fast-food take out." Skinner remarked. 

"Thanks. My mom always said that she didn't care that I was a cop as long as I didn't end up eating at the donut store and letting myself go. So, she keeps me fed." 

Skinner smiled and said, "Think she would feed me too?" 

Scott giggled, "I'm sure if you asked her, she would. She'd probably like you. Your a lot different from my ex." 

Skinner's smile faded. "Oh, you were married?" 

Scott sighed and shook her head. "No, engaged. He worked the beat. He didn't like it much that I was higher up the ladder then him. It kind of came between us." 

"I'm sorry to hear that." 

Scott smirked. "It's alright. Life goes on, right?" 

Skinner remarked quietly. "I guess it does, if you want it to or not." 

"You sound like your speaking from experience?" 

Skinner sighed. "My wife and I ended up divorcing because of my job. I didn't feel like talking about work once I got home and she felt like I should let it all out. It caused a lot of fights before we were through." 

Scott gently touched Skinner's hand. "Some people just don't understand that the things we see on a daily basis aren't something we want to share with others." 

Skinner gave a nod and squeezed her hand in return. 

Scott stared at him for a moment and then sighed, "Well, this isn't getting anything done on the case..." 

Skinner smiled. "Your right. Let's get to work." 

xXx 

He stood outside the cop's home. She was inside with Dana's boss. He didn't know much about him, just knew who he was from the few times he had visited her at Quantico. He seemed like the typical Assistant Director type. No emotions, no feelings, no expressions. 

He smirked, wondering what the AD was in there doing with the pretty young cop. Then he thought about what he was going to do to her after the AD left. She was the closest he'd ever come to someone like his Dana. She was even a cop and to top it all off, she was working with Dana also. 

He got excited just thinking about it. He wondered if he could control himself enough to just do what he always had or if he'd have to raise the stacks a little and partake of the AD's girl. 

He was changing his plan for this one anyways, going in as the deliveryman himself. What if he changed it a little more? What would it hurt? He laughed menacingly, "It's only going to hurt her." 

xXx 

Skinner stood up and stretched. "Oh god, it's late. I should go." 

Scott stood up beside him. "Thanks for coming by and working on this with me." 

Skinner smiled and touched her hand. "Not a problem. I'll come over again, if you feed me?" 

Scott giggled, "It's a deal." 

Skinner put his coat on and looked at her. "Oh...I wanted to thank you for the talk too. It's nice to talk to someone who knows what it's like." 

Scott smiled gently at him and whispered, "Anytime you want to talk, just let me know, ok?" 

Skinner blushed slightly. Scott's smile broadened at that and she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Skinner wrapped his arms around her waist. He moaned as she deepened the kiss and pulled herself closer to him. She could feel what she was doing to his body and it brought her back to her senses. She pulled away quickly and turned away from him. 

She scolded herself, "Stupid!" 

Skinner looked at her in shock, "What?" 

She turned back towards him and sighed sadly. "Oh Walter. I'm sorry. I didn't mean too... I mean..." She let out a long sigh. 

Skinner frowned, "I understand." 

Scott placed her palm gently on his chest. "No, you don't... I like you. I really do. I just wasn't thinking there for a minute. I guess what I'm saying is I need to take this slow. It hasn't been that long since Jake and I broke up. I don't want to think about him while I'm kissing you. Ok?" 

Skinner smiled gently, "Ok." He whispered. 

She smiled gently, "So, you'll come back for dinner tomorrow night?" 

Skinner smiled. "It's a date." 

xXx 

Finally, he thought. He had waited outside the house for hours, hoping the old man would leave. Now he was finally going to get his chance with her. He waited until the AD drove away before he approached the door and rang the bell. 

She opened the door saying, "I knew you'd be back for these?" She was holding up Skinner's notes. 

When she the young uniformed man she looked slightly startled. "Oh, can I help you?" 

The man smiled and said, "Yes ma'am. I've got a delivery here for you." 

She looked at the box and smiled gently. She took it and said, "Come on in. I'll get your tip." 

She left the door open, allowing him to enter as she opened the box to reveal one dozen red roses. She smiled gently and picked one up to smell it before she set them down to go grab her purse. 

As she stepped across the living room she felt dizzy and before she knew it she was on the floor. She looked up at the man smiling down at her. He picked her up in his arms and moved her to the couch. 

"My dear sweet Dana. You are more beautiful then all of the roses in the world." 

Scott's eyes showed her realization of who the man was. She tried to move but couldn't feel her body. She tried to scream but couldn't make a sound. 

He turned to look at the files on the coffee table. "How interesting. You think I'm a spurned lover, do you? Well, your wrong there. You see my dear, anything I want I can have. It's always been that way, until I met her. There is no one like her and all of you who pretend to be her just make me angry." 

She could see the rage burning inside him as he leaned over her, holding an ivory scarf. She tried to control her breathing, thinking that any minute that scarf was going to be around her neck, pulling it tight. 

He took a deep breath and smiled, loosening his grip on the scarf. "What am I thinking? You need to get changed, my dear. I have a special evening planned." 

He stood up and left the house for a moment, returning with a large duffle bag. He set it down and swiped all the papers off the coffee table and onto the floor. He pulled a vase out of the bag and grabbed the roses. He made them the centerpiece of the table. 

"Aren't my roses lovely? They have a special scent too." He laughed evilly. 

Her eyes went wide, realizing it was the roses. He had put the ketamine into the roses somehow. She watched him as he continued his work by setting up candles and glasses. He hummed a tune, as he made sure everything was just right. Then he smiled at her and reached into his bag once more. 

He pulled out a sexy little red dress. "You will look so beautiful in this dress Dana and the scarf will match it perfectly." 

She was screaming with all her strength but nothing was coming out. 

xXx 

Skinner opened the door to his dark, lonely apartment. He sighed and flipped on the light. He couldn't stop thinking about Samantha and that mind numbing kiss she had given him. He knew he liked her and was sure that he could feel even more for her. She had been the first person that she felt comfortable talking to about Sharon and she understood the emotional baggage the job he had carried. 

He moved to the couch and opened his briefcase, thinking he might as well get some work done. Knowing that he'd be up all night thinking of Scott anyways. He looked inside and cursed quietly. He had left his notes at Scott's and he needed them for a briefing with Kersh in the morning. 

He sighed at the thought of going back out this late, but he also knew it meant seeing her again. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door. 

xXx 

He stared down at the smooth skin of her shoulders against the bright red of the spaghetti straps. He ran his hand gently along her collar and down towards her breasts. 

"You look amazing, Dana. Of course, I knew you would." He leaned in and kissed her pulse. 

He pulled away and said, "I had thought about making this an extra special night. Make our love real. But you look far to lovely tonight to ruin that. Besides, I promised you I'd wait until Valentine's Day." 

He gently caressed her cheek. "So, I guess there's only one thing left to do." He pulled out the scarf and wrapped it around her neck. 

xXx 

Skinner knocked gently on Scott's door. As he did it popped open a crack. He peeked in and said, "Samantha?" 

He could here something in the living room but couldn't place what it was. He slowly pulled his gun and moved that way. As he turned the corner he gasped in shock of what he saw. 

Candles, roses and champagne were laying on the coffee table. Scott was sprawled on the couch, in a red dress. An ivory scarf hanging around her neck. She looked almost blue. 

He ran to her and loosened the scarf, looking for her pulse. He took a breath when he found a weak one. He looked around the room and noticed that the perp must have ran out the back door, as it was standing open. 

He grabbed his cell and called 911. 

xXx 

He hid in the bushes and watched the ambulance take her away. He was angry. Even more then before. That idiot AD had ruined everything. He had almost finished with her when he came in. Now all of his stuff was being bagged as evidence, including his precious scarf. 

His plan was falling apart. But he wasn't going to let that happen. He'd just have to step things up a bit. He'd have to go to Dana now and finish what he had started. 

He smiled at the thought of seeing her again, of touching her. It made him excited just to think about it. 

xXx 

Mulder and Scully ran into the emergency room waiting area to find Skinner pacing back and forth. 

"What happened?" Asked Mulder. 

Skinner sighed and had the two sit down. "I had gone to Scott's to work on the case. When I left I forgot my notes. I went back to get them and found her laying in her living room, like the other victims." 

Scully gasped. "Oh my god. Is she...?" 

Skinner shook his head. "The doctor's are with her now. They say it was lucky I came in when I did. Just a minute more and she would have." 

Scully sat there in shock. Not able to believe that this was happening. 

Skinner sighed, trying to think straight. He pulled a plastic evidence bag out of his coat pocket and handed it to Scully. 

"This was what he used to strangle her. I'm assuming he used it on all of the victims. The rest of the evidence was taken back to HQ, but I thought you should see this." 

Scully looked at the scarf in the bag and then looked up at him. "Why?" 

Skinner looked at her sadly and then looked down. Mulder took the bag from her and looked the scarf over, turning the bag over and over. He stopped abruptly and looked up at Skinner and then to Scully. 

Scully looked at him, "What is it?" 

Mulder whispered, "Your name." 

He handed the scarf back and pointed to the embroidered 'Dana' on the scarf. Scully gasped and stared at it. It couldn't be her scarf. She never had one like that and she certainly would have known if something had been missing from her home. 

Scully looked to Mulder and said, "This isn't mine. It can't be. I've never owned a scarf like this." 

Mulder gave a nod and took the bag from her again. He looked up at Skinner, "Do we have any prints on this guy yet?" 

Skinner shook his head. "Not yet. There's a duffle bag in evidence that they are going to run and I wanted to also run that scarf." 

Mulder stood up and said, "I'll take this down and have it run. Let me know as soon as you find out something on Scott." 

xXx 

Mulder turned on the computer to do a name search. They had got the prints and a name for them. Now he wanted to find out what connection this man had to Scully. Why he was killing woman who looked like her and why he carried a scarf around with her name on it. 

He typed in the name, Daniel Hinds, and waited for the information to come up. 

Mulder looked shocked when he saw what it said. He had been at Quantico and studied under Scully. He passed all of his classes with flying colors and had accommodations from all of his teachers, except Scully. He had a lot of promise and would have made a fine agent, but he couldn't pass Scully's pathology course. 

Mulder smiled, thinking about how few agents would be able to pass a course she taught. She was a tough agent and a tougher teacher. 

As he read on he got more concerned. He had been hospitalized for anxiety soon after dropping out of Quantico. They found him to show signs of insanity but the man refused to stay and checked himself out against doctor's orders. They couldn't keep him because he had been there voluntarily to begin with and he had not harmed anyone. 

Mulder hit the print button and hurriedly headed back to the hospital to tell Scully. 

xXx 

Scully stood at the window of the room they had given Scott. She watched as the sun dipped behind the buildings and the moon arose to brighten another February evening. 

Skinner looked at her from his chair next to Scott's bed. "Scully, you've been here all day. Why don't you go home and get some rest." 

Scully looked from Skinner to Scott and back. "Are you sure?" 

Skinner smiled gently and gave a nod. "I'll let you know as soon as she wakes up, ok?" 

Scully smiled and grabbed her coat. "Thanks sir. I'll be back in the morning." 

xXx 

Mulder entered Scott's room and sat down by Skinner. "How's she doing?" 

Skinner looked at him and sighed. "She hasn't regained consciousness yet. The doctors think she will be able to fully recover, in time." 

Mulder gave a nod and looked around. "Where's Scully?" 

"Oh, she looked really beat, so I sent her on home." 

Mulder looked shocked and mad. "You did what?" 

Skinner was about to repeat his statement when Scott sighed and started to move slightly. Skinner stood over her and took her hand. 

He whispered, "Samantha, can you hear me?" 

"Walter?" She asked, hoarsely. 

Skinner smiled and nodded. "Yeah." 

She smiled gently and then her eyes showed a fear that Skinner hadn't seen since Vietnam. "Dana...." 

Mulder moved to the side of the bed. "What about Dana, Samantha?" 

She looked at Mulder and said, "He called me Dana... He's after her." 

Mulder and Skinner looked at each other, realizing what kind of danger Scully was in. 

xXx 

Scully entered her dark apartment and threw her keys down on the table. She took off her weapon and put it in the drawer and then moved to the kitchen to put on some tea. 

She came back into the living room and sat down. She felt a chill run across her body and looked around to see where it had come from. Just as she noticed a window in the corner of her living room was opened, she was grabbed from behind. 

He pushed a knife to her neck and covered her mouth with his hand. "Don't scream. I don't want to have to hurt you." 

She gave a nod and he loosened his grip slightly. She couldn't believe who it was. Daniel Hinds, a former student of hers. It all made sense now. He had an unhealthy infatuation with her. He had tried to leave her gifts, which she refused. He even questioned her one time after Mulder came to see her, asking about who he was. 

He let go of her mouth and grabbed her hands, pulling them behind her and handcuffing them. 

"Why are you doing this Daniel?" She asked. 

He smirked and said, "All you had to do was say yes when I asked you out. But you said no. NO ONE EVER TELLS ME NO!" He yelled, waving the knife around. 

She suddenly remembered that day in her office. When he came in with an ivory scarf with her name on it, as a gift. She smiled gently and gave it back to him. She told him that she couldn't accept it and that she would like for him to quiet giving her things. He was upset when he left the office but she never thought him capable of anything like this. 

"Ok. Calm down Daniel. I'm here now. Why don't we sit down and talk about this?" 

He moved around to face her. He sat on the coffee table. "It's to late to talk. You had your chance and now it's my turn. I was going to wait until Valentine's Day but that idiot of a boss and his little whore ruined that for me." He rubbed his head having trouble thinking. 

Scully noticed this as a sign of insanity, "Daniel...your sick. Please, let me help you. I know people who could help." 

He stood up and pointed the knife at her. "NO! I don't need help. After tonight everything will be all right. You and I will be together, forever." 

Scully sat back, trying to get away from the blade. Just then the door burst open and Mulder ran in and fired a shot at Hinds. He dropped the knife and grabbed his shoulder. He looked shocked as blood ran between his fingertips. 

He looked down at Scully and said, "All I wanted was for us to be happy." 

Skinner grabbed his hands and cuffed him and pushed him out of the apartment as Mulder went to Scully and unhand cuffed her. 

He touched her cheek and whispered, "Are you alright." 

Scully gulped back her fear and nodded. "I'm fine. How'd you know?" 

"Scott woke up and said he had called her Dana." Mulder smiled weakly. 

Scully nodded. "He said that he was doing this because I had turned him down when he asked me out." Her voice sounded weak and distant. "I never thought that saying no could cause so many people to die." 

Mulder pulled her into him and caressed her hair. "It wasn't your fault Scully. You had every right to tell him no." 

Scully gave a nod and just held him. 

xXx 

He sat on the bed in the corner of his cell. The only light coming from the lover's moon. It was valentine's night. The night he was supposed to be with Dana. He wrapped his arms around his legs and began rocking. His dear sweet lonely Dana wasn't there with him. She was with her partner. His anger grew at the thought of him touching her. 

Slowly his cell door opened and the nurse entered. She smiled at him and he looked up. He stared into her piercing blue eyes and smiled at the way her red hair shined in the moonlight. 

She sat down his dinner and said, "Her you are Mr. Hinds. Enjoy your meal." 

He smiled at her and said, "Thank you." 

She turned to leave as he said, "Happy Valentine's Day, Dana." 

xXx The End xXx   
  


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